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Arquus, a sense of customer service

Arquus, a sense of customer service

Providing in-service vehicle support for its customers’ armored vehicles is a priority for Arquus whose offering covers all their requirements. During the design of the vehicle, our Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) unit ensures the best operational availability of vehicles and equipment, at reduced global operating costs. When new vehicles and equipment are purchased, we systematically include an in-service support offer adapted to our customers’ needs in the vehicle sales agreement. For example, support for the VT4, which is sold to the French army, includes 14 years of contractual in-service vehicle support with a fleet availability objective of 95%.

Guaranteeing in-service vehicle support at controlled costs

Thanks to Volvo’s worldwide presence, Arquus has an international network of approved repairers at its disposal. We can thus offer a wide range of integrated services at different service levels:

All-inclusive in-service vehicle support

Technical expertise

complete technical documentation at the customer’s disposal, according to S1000D, S2000M and S3000L specifications as required,

an obsolescence prevention and management plan,

vehicle and equipment configuration management,

technical assistance to vehicles in the case of a breakdown, based on the TRUST Classic service pack.

The supply chain

We adapt our supply chain to our customers’ needs by optimising the cost/performance ratio. It is based on:

the military spare parts logistics platform at Fourchambault in France,

a dedicated team that manages orders for France and abroad from start to finish,

stocks sent to our approved repairers in close proximity to our customers.

Because of our expertise and international presence, we are responsible for the logistics of all spare parts (storage and supply) for the Scorpion programme.

In-service vehicle maintenance

This is the core of in-service vehicle support and its aim is to maximise the operational availability of our vehicles and equipment at a pre-determined cost. We do this via our international network of approved repairers and our mobile maintenance teams.

Customers can also choose the TRUST Premium service pack which optimises maintenance activities in their own workshops.

Industrial maintenance

Industrial maintenance is designed to capitalise on the potential of vehicles and components that have reached their mid-service life. It is carried out in our production plants in France or at our customers’ premises, where we set up a repair chain service.

Complete vehicle fleet management

This is based on our TRUST Ultimate service pack and provides customers with complete management of their vehicle fleet at a fixed price over a given period of time, with guaranteed operational availability.

TRUST, a 3-level service offering

To provide operational support to our customers throughout the life cycle of their vehicle fleet (through-life support), we offer a services pack called TRUST (“Tailored Reactive User SupporT”). It has three levels of service:

Technical audit of vehicle fleet: an annual review of the vehicle fleet and customer’s workshop,

Parts Online: an interactive on-line service to order spare parts 24/7.

TRUST Premium

This has the same content as TRUST Classic, with additional in-service vehicle configuration management and maintenance optimisation services:

In-service vehicle configuration management: management of the technical characteristics of vehicles throughout the term of the TRUST agreement,

In-service vehicle monitoring: Vehicle use data collection and analysis, which enable predictive maintenance scheduling in order to improve fleet uptime.

Maintenance Management Support (MMS): secondment of an Arquus Service Manager for two months to adapt and improve the efficiency of the customer’s workshop; use of Arquus’ computerised maintenance management system; configuration of the customer’s vehicle fleet in the management system; training of the customer in using the management system.

TRUST Ultimate

The TRUST Ultimate service pack includes all the services in the TRUST Classic and Premium packs. With TRUST Ultimate, the customer contracts with Arquus to manage its vehicle and equipment fleet. We deliver:

Operational availability of vehicles: the customer and Arquus define an operational availability objective for the term of the agreement.

Fleet maintenance: Arquus manages and carries out vehicle maintenance in either its own workshops, the customer’s workshops or those of its approved repairer network.

A contractual cost per vehicle: Arquus guarantees a fixed cost per vehicle throughout the term of the TRUST Premium agreement.

A la carte maintenance services

In addition to our TRUST services packs, we offer customers a wide range of custom services in order to optimise the maintenance, use and operation of their vehicle fleets throughout their service life.

Integrated Logistics Support (LSA/ILS)

Logistics Support Analysis (LSA), carried out in conjunction with the design and purchasing departments, ensures that the customer’s maintainability and maintenance cost optimisation requirements are taken into account during the design stage of the main system. The Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) deliverables which define the Support System are therefore consistent with each other and optimised to ensure maximum operational availability.

User, maintenance and supply manuals

Our customers are provided with user, maintenance and supply manuals so that their vehicles (or systems) can be used and maintained under the best operational conditions. Paper and PDF manuals can be supplied in addition to state-of-the-art Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETM).

Diagnostic & Telediagnostic

A generic tool is proposed to provide electronic troubleshooting of vehicles and systems. The maintenance teams can thus optimise troubleshooting time and rapidly target the faulty component. Depending on requirements, several service levels are proposed, from the simple reading of fault codes to complex fault tree analysis.

A remote troubleshooting function is also being developed to provide remote assistance to troubleshoot failures.

Special tools

Special tools required to carry out maintenance operating procedures are proposed to our customers. They are developed and optimised during the vehicle and system design phases so that maintenance can be quick and efficient. For larger tools, special packaging is also designed to ensure their transport and handling under optimum logistics conditions.

Mobile and projectable workshops

range of mobile or projectable workshops, which can be deployed as close as possible to operational areas to perform maintenance and troubleshooting operations, is available to our customers. These include:

- turnkey workshops in the form of steel or inflatable structures, with specialised standard containers organised according to purpose: spare parts stocks, fluid distribution, equipment storage, lockers and offices, 10 t ramp, service pits. This type of structure can be rolled out in 4 weeks on stabilised ground.

Training

Training is designed for instructors and end-users. It includes familiarisation with vehicles, driving instruction for different types of terrain, and vehicle maintenance, from routine maintenance to component repair.

Training simulators

Produced in partnership with specialists, simulators are used for:

- technical training: driving, maintenance, shooting,

- tactical training: sorties.

Using simulators to train users is designed to optimise operational efficiency while adopting an economical approach to training. The modularity of our simulators makes them suitable for the individual or collective training of pilots, vehicle commanders and gunners, and covers the full range of onboard systems and their interactions.

Computer-assisted training / E-learning

Acquiring and maintaining skills are essential for carrying out maintenance operations under the best conditions. Arquus proposes custom computer-assisted teaching modules (e-learning), to make it easier to learn how to use and maintain its products.

Learning with virtual reality

We propose innovative techniques for maintenance training, using virtual reality. In a full-scale, total immersion, virtual 3D mode, the learner or team can acquire or practise maintenance skills without using a real vehicle. Actual vehicles are thus only used to validate the skills acquired, which means less downtime and more operational availability.